Christian Resolution

1^st Samuel 2:18-20, 26; Luke 2:41-52; Colossians 3:12-17

Central Baptist Church, Lowesville, VA

31 December 2006

Many people are talking about New Year’s resolutions. In a few weeks many will be talking about failed resolutions. Many will ignore the whole idea of New Year’s resolutions, as they know that making a list of resolutions has little to do with actually carrying them out. Perhaps our resolutions fail because we try to reach too far and depend on our own strength to succeed. Is there any such thing as a resolution we need to make? What would it look like, and how would we fulfill it?

Samuel was given to Yahweh as a gift of thanks from his mother. The text tells us that he grew up not only in the presence of Yahweh, but in favor with both God and the people. Samuel grew in the presence of Eli, but Eli is not mentioned as impacting his life very much. Samuel seems to have been much more impacted by the story of his being given to Yahweh as his mother’s expression of thanks.

Prior to his birth, there were expectations for this lad. There was a purpose for his life that drew him beyond the mundane. Expectations for his life called him to a higher living than he might otherwise have accepted. He was not driven by resolutions to alter his lifestyle, health, character, education, or achievement. He recognized the expectations placed upon him and rose to meet the challenge of living as one dedicated to the service of Yahweh—the God of Israel. Samuel became more Godly, for he knew this as the purpose of his life. What kind of effort do we put into becoming Godly according to our call?

Eliezar and I grew up singing together in the choir at First Baptist in São Paulo. His father was a musician of impeccable credentials and an ordained minister as well. As we both prepared to leave home to further our career preparation, he chose to study law. Years later, a sense of higher purpose began working on him. He realized God wanted more of him than the purposes for which he had settled. Eliezar set aside his aspirations of a legal career to prepare for fulltime ministry. No one forced him to it. Faith and purpose challenged him to growth and dependence on God’s leading. Is our life of faith a journey of growth and adapting to God’s higher call?

We do not know what to think of Jesus’ childhood. We do alright with the infant lying in the manger and crying amid the smells of a stable. We can deal with the arrival of shepherds and even the magi, rightfully proclaiming his position as heir to the universal throne. Grasping how that translates into the childhood of a Jewish boy in Nazareth is a different matter. While there are many apocryphal accounts of supposed miracles he is to have performed, they are most likely imaginative images of the character of the man we know imposed upon a child we do not. Our knowledge of Jesus’ childhood is limited to the text given in Luke.

Jesus was probably not yet considered a “son of the covenant” in this narrative, yet his actions and dialogue display the understanding of one already tested as responsible for observing the demands of Torah. Present for the Passover celebration required for males after their ceremony of accountability, Jesus also enters into dialogue on a par with the adults regarding the meaning and application of God’s instructions in Torah. Luke presents us with a picture casting Jesus as precocious, but also as being early to assume the responsibilities of an adult before God and society as well. As his parents return to collect him, he displays surprise that they would not expect him to be involved in the things of his Father. He mentions this is an obviously necessary thing for him—it should be no cause for their surprise. Even so, he submits to their direction, following them home.

Jesus looked upon fulfilling the “things of God” as a matter of course. He speaks here with his parents as though this is already an established pattern they should be expecting. His actions, after all, were nothing out of the ordinary.

During her preschool years, Karen’s parents took her to Six Flags. After a while, they noticed that Karen had disappeared. Panic was their first and natural response. Beth stopped after a minute to listen and heard the sound of bagpipes. Knowing Karen’s love of music, she headed toward the bagpipes, assured of where her daughter could be found. That was the kind of action and thinking Jesus expected of his own parents. He had displayed before them already his love for the things of God. They should have known immediately where he would be and how to locate him. They knew his character and the things that were important to him. How do we grow in character after the manner of Jesus Christ? Being about the things of God was first priority for him. He was still growing and developing, but the question of character was firmly settled. How is God challenging us to become more like Christ from the inside out?

Paul’s words to the Colossians are a reminder of the character of Christ Jesus. Our actions flow as the byproduct of our character. They are an extension of who we are. We tend to judge people on the basis of their actions. In some measure that is a judgment on their internal character. Paul’s concern was that we allow the lordship of Christ Jesus to alter the character stamp of our lives from the inside. He calls on the believers in Colossae to first of all remember that they are God’s chosen ones. This sense of identity should define the purpose and direction of their lives. It should be the driving force to shape their character, spilling over into their daily actions.

Reminding them of whose they were and how they were loved, he called on them to live as the loved children of God they were. He reminded them that being the children of God demanded they treat one another in accord with God’s love and character of graceful forgiveness, rather than their own. The hardest part of all, however, is his closing phrase. “Do everything in the authority of Jesus as Lord, giving thanks to the Father through him.” It is the name of Jesus—his authority—that gives us standing before God. All our deeds should flow from the strength and identity of Jesus’ character flowing through our lives. What areas of our lives need adjusting to become more like Jesus?

For whatever reason, people who are drunken seem to gravitate toward me. Time after time in Mexico and Brazil I would be accosted by people who had enjoyed too much alcohol, always asking me about God, faith, and Christ Jesus. Several mentioned seeing some kind of aura around me, suggesting that I was a prophet of God they needed to hear. I have no idea where that came from or what kind of light may have played tricks on the inebriated. What I do know is that I would wish that the sober and drunk alike might see something Godly in my life. Would that I might live, that each of us might live in such a way that the world would seek us out because of the character of Christ Jesus flowing through all our actions, words, and being.

God is still in the process of changing lives. He is ready to change our lives from the inside out. He is not looking for resolutions that might last us to the end of a month. He is looking for submission to His will over our own. Are we too satisfied with our lives to worry about God’s desire for us? Is our example of spiritual growth a positive challenge for others? May we resolve to become like Christ. This is more than a fitting Christian resolution. It is the point of our salvation.

—©2006 Christopher B. Harbin